It was full speed ahead from the moment we got off the plane in Barcelona until we boarded the ferry to Tangiers two weeks later. We had had a night flight from Crete which allowed us the bizarre experience of being the only people in the vast airport lounge. For some reason we had been able to clear through check-in and customs in record time and it was some time until we were joined by others - not quite long enough to make a music video like this guy but similar feelings evoked!
All By Myself
Once we had checked into our hostel we set straight off again to visit Berga, a town in the Pyrenees where we had distantly looked at a property on the internet with a view of purchasing as a "do-up" and the focus of our year out. The big question on our minds was "if we had been successful with the purchase would it have been a great decision or one bordering on insanity?". As it turns out we believe it would have been a great decision. Berga (pronounced bear-ja rather than bur-ga as I was to find to my cost when asking how I could get to Bur-ga which in Spanish equates to a male appendage!) is a wonderful place full of twisting pedestrian streets with high quality shops. It is in the foothills of the Pyrenees with a nearby lake and several ski fields to keep the interest up in winter. "Our" place was not more than 50m from the main square where the annual festival is held. This dream was not to be however as weeks of non-returned emails ended with the unit being sold to another party. We had a fascinating day however and when we returned to Barcelona that evening we had a chance to explore the Ramblas before watching a couple of the rugby world cup quarter finals in an Irish pub. In the hostel we met a very interesting man from the States and it has been fascinating to follow his world discovery tour in parallel with our own ever since.
By contrast we also had fleeting contact with another pair of Americans. For the following conversation you must imagine the prose in a whiny drawling Brooklyn accent for him and Marge Simpson's voice for her.
Him - Shuffling along slightly behind her and looking into a cafe while walking past exasperated......... "Every place is an eatery!"
Her - in frustration at his whining..........."It's McDaarnalds!!"
Him - spinning abruptly on his heel and marching in "Ohhhh!".
The McDonalds had been forced to vary its appearance to comply with planning laws and had actually managed to look attractive - unless you were tuned to search for gaudy plastic and oversized golden arches.
Eateries Everywhere
As we have previously had the opportunity to visit Barcelona we moved on the next day to Zaragoza. We were very fortunate to arrive on the last day of the Festiva Del Toros and the town was pulsating with street entertainment and bands. In addition everything was lit up and the bull ring itself was surrounded by a crowd of people desperate to catch a glimpse of their heroes or their horses. We opted to eat in a tapas bar which seemed to be unchanged since early last century. The food was simple but hearty - baked potatoes, grilled sardines, garlic mushrooms, tomato salads etc. we weren't sure which to have so in the end had the lot! The bustling atmosphere matched that of the city but greatly increased once it started to rain and all of the outside customers came hurrying in to stand in clusters around our table. Zaragoza offered us our first glimpse of the reverence which the Spanish Catholics are willing to hold anything representing designated saints and especially Mary the mother of Jesus. Here a queue had formed around the block to kiss the image of Santa Maria Della Pilar. Apparently it is here that on 2 January 40AD Santiago (St James the Apostle) saw the Virgin Mary descend atop a marble pilar (pillar). A chapel was built around the remaining pillar, followed by a series of ever-more-grandiose churches and culminating in the enormous basilica that we see today. The legendary "pilar" is hidden in the Capilla Santa, inside the east end of the basilica. A tiny oval-shaped portion of the pillar is exposed on the chapel's outer west side and a steady stream of people line up to brush lips with its polished and seamed cheek, which even popes have air-kissed.
Authentic Tapas
Spain offered a great chance to spend time travelling with my parents and we met up in Madrid where we based for a few days, using it as an opportunity to drive out to the surrounding towns of Segovia and Avila. Segovia was the pick of the two and was our first real experience of a medieval Spanish town. We were not the only tourists to discover either location though and we had to look past the veneer of souvenir and curio shops to enjoy the original buildings. The town has a peculiar local building technique whereby the plaster is moulded into geometric reliefs which give a long term texture and pattern to the building facades. Modern buildings in the town continue this practice today. In the remainder of our travels through Spain we did not encounter this anywhere else. Segovia cathedral is one of the more impressive that we came across and has a very picturesque alcázar (castle) which occupies a promontory overlooking a beautiful river valley. Avila impressed for a different reason. The town of Avila is surrounded by a stone wall complete with turrets and crenalations and we were fortunate to arrive just as the evening sun bathed them in a golden light. Built by prisoners of war they were never put to the test in any battle situation but they form a very attractive perimeter to the town today.
Turreted Walls Abound In Spain. This Example Is In Zaragoza
Before visiting Madrid I had formed the impression of a boring utilitarian city. Where Barcelona was quirky, Madrid would be straight laced. Barcelona was about fun and art; Madrid would be about government departments and not much else. As is often the case with pre-conceived ideas this was totally incorrect and we had a couple of full days exploring the gardens, restaurants, palaces and boulevards of this impressive capital, for so long the hope of the republicans during the civil war. Most of its beautiful architecture survived that war and neutrality in the second world war has left a rich heritage intact. Sadly, one of the things that impressed us was the most enormous and vibrant Primark clothing store! This flagship store is over several floors with a huge central atrium. What set this store apart though were the multiple giant display screens each coordinated to display video and audio art installations which, although not adverts were obviously designed to reinforce the products offered. We also enjoyed the practice throughout Madrid of forming entrances using giant wrought iron gates which sandwiched around glazing to give very open but interesting doorways.
Palacio De Cristal, Madrid
From Madrid we began our road trip south via Toledo to our friend Eva's place in Almuñécar. Toledo is another delighful walled town and we really enjoyed wandering up and through its narrow winding streets. Although known for the high quality steel and weapons that are produced in the city Toledo is also the namesake of our street in Mount Pleasant and so it was fun to put together a sign for our house made from tiles crafted in the real Toledo!
Almuñécar is almost the complete opposite. Located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea this town is all about the beach and relaxation. It has been spared the ravages of development for foreign tourists and is generally full all year around as it is the home or second home of many Spanish who live and work in Granada then pop out to Almuñécar at the weekend. The reason we were there though was all about meeting up once again with the lovely Eva who we met on our trek in Northern Vietnam. Unfortunately we were not at our best as we had each come down with a heavy cold and so it was good to be able to sit back and relax for a bit with no pressure of travel - particularly as I was the only driver for the hire car. The days were spent in conversation, with the odd wander around town to sample the local tapas. Until now we considered tapas to be small dishes, priced fairly well which you select as if using an à la carte menu just using multiple courses. In Almuñécar we were educated in the origins of Tapas which are still practiced today. In this case, everytime you order a couple of drinks they are accompanied by a different tapas dish. No need to select - with the first beers comes tapas one. The second tapas two and so on. These dishes were cooked in bulk earlier in the day which makes it affordable for the restauranteur. The beers were well priced too so it was a really good value meal all around.
Enjoying The Café Lifestyle.
If we thought we had visited some beautiful buildings so far the best was about to happen. The Alhambra Palace in Granada opened the batting very creditably with the Moorish architecture the jewel in the crown. We were very grateful for the local knowledge that we should book tickets in advance as all were sold out when we arrived which would have been so disappointing if we did not have our tickets safely in our pockets already. The detail in the intricately carved plasterwork is a shining signature of Islamic architecture and the central palace was a mind-blowingly good example. I also really enjoyed the formal gardens and particularly the way that the multiple fountains were all operating with no power source just a finely calculated system of waterways from a river in the Sierra Nevada which delivers precisely the right flow to each nozzle to give a consistent throw. Masterful engineering from the finest minds of their time. We got to experience the Alhambra in a non-stop deluge of rain but it was good enough to still be a fantastic experience.
From Granada to Córdoba and its amazing Mezquita. This is an example of two faiths each creating their own buildings to the best of their ability to give glory to their God. First came the muslims who created a vast mosque with hundreds of white stone columns linked with red brick arches. Later came the Christians who retained the wide spaces formed by the mosque but inserted a beautiful central basillica with ornate carving and guilding. This is unmissable if you are in Córdoba and again we were grateful for local knowledge that meant we were there first thing in the morning to take advantage of the free entrance for the first hour.
Tamara Receives A Flamenco Guitar Lesson.
If Barcelona, Madrid, Granada and Córdoba are princes of cities then they must all surely bow to the king - Seville. WOW! Seville is comprised of one amazing building after another, all in close proximity and all wonderfully maintained. I must confess that if I were a native South American I may have a slightly different view of the riches on offer but at least I would know where my gold had been spent! We treated mum and dad to early birthday presents being a carriage ride through the park and into the centre of Seville. On a sunny day such as we were blessed with there can be no finer way to see the sites. That evening we again followed the advice of a local and found ourselves at a "real" flamenco bar rather than one of the expensive tourist shows. Here for the price of your drinks (actually a reasonable price for a jug of sangria which pretty much hit the spot anyway) you get to experience some pretty dramatic non-costume flamenco dancing and singing. A great way to spend the evening.
Our road trip was pretty unrelenting and the next day took us to Cadiz on the south western coast. We only had an hour or so to explore as we needed to quickly head up the road to Jerez where we watched a show at the world famous Spanish Riding School. This treat doubled up as an early Christmas present for my parents. Who knew you could enjoy yourself and Christmas shop at the same time? I don't know about you but we are starting to move over towards a love of giving experiences rather than things - especially since we saw all of our things in a pile on the floor following the Christchurch earthquake and have since had to move our household in entireity several times. Less is more!
Clever Horses
What the Spanish horses could do and the control of the riders was pretty spectacular although Tamara and I confess to being a little underwhelmed by the overall experience. My parents loved it though which was definitely the major thing as they missed out on a show at the off-shoot in Vienna (side note, their friend who has seen both considers the Jerez show to be the superior of the two). When we arrived in Jerez I dropped off the others at the arena and then made my way to a public car park where I was approached by a man with a money belt requesting parking fees. My antennae immediately went up and I argued the toss with him. Only when he realised that he was getting nowhere and revised the amount sought to one euro from four was I convinced that his was a scam. As I headed away I took a photograph of both him (much to his consternation) and his friend who was also part of the scam. As luck would have it I very quickly came across two motorcycle cops who were headed that direction - they had also received reports and were very happy to receive photographs of the perpetrators!
That same day we managed to drive up to the lovely mountain town of Ronda. Perched on the top of a cliff adjacent to a narrow and deep gorge this town offers one of the most famous and dramatic views in Spain as you look back at the gorge and the hugely tall stone bridge that spans it. Again we timed our arrival to coincide with the setting sun which bathes the honey coloured stone with golden light. Very picturesque indeed! Our route to Ronda was varied at the last minute as Tamara was inspired to take a back road through the mountains to get there. Inspired is certainly the word as this road took us up and over a mountain range with some wonderful views. There are not many cars and fewer people exploring on foot. As we came towards a high point we stopped for a photograph and as we pulled up we saw a very large herd of deer quietly grazing by the side of the road. These ranged in age from very old to very young and they glided across the grass verge and up a steep bank over the course of the next fifteen minutes - the closest was within 15m of us but did not seem at all concerned. Later on this route took us through a vast plantation of cork trees and we saw several yards where the bark had been removed for processing. Cork is such a sustainable material to use as it fully regenerates in a short time without the tree being adversely affected.
Ronda From The Air
On our second day in Ronda Tamara and I took a walk to the bottom of the cliffs and along by the river, exploring the hydro-electric works en route. We would have liked to have the time available to extend this walk for the full 14km where an inn is available for an overnight stay but time is of the essence on this part of the trip and instead we prepared to drive on through the mountains to the border of Spain with Gibralter. As we made our way through the ranges taking in the picturesque "white towns" we watched as the weather became worse and worse.
The next few days were to be the least pleasant from the weather point of view. At least our visit to Gibralter did its level best to provide the complete "Britain abroad" experience with cold wet rain and very low cloud. Despite the low cloud dad shouted everyone to a trip up the cable car where we were able to find some of the famous Barbary Apes. There were signs everywhere warning against contact with them and their aggression but some American girls took absolutely no notice of this with no ill effect so I thought I'd take the plunge too and soon found myself with one or two on my shoulders ready to pose for photographs. What better way to round out our trip to Gibralter than a full English breakfast and pint of cider while watching the football. After that it was back onto the bus for the short journey across the international airport runway and through the border control.
Blighty
Talking of border controls this emphasised the fact that Spain remains uncomfortable with British possession of the rock, in stark contrast to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on the African side of the entrance to the Mediterranean which is apparently fair game!
Our trip to Spain ended with a ferry ride across from Europe to Africa which was achieved despite the stormy conditions which forced a last minute re-plan from the fast ferry direct to Tangier. In the end we were able to take the larger, slow ferry to Tanger-Med. It was goodbye to Europe but - Africa beckoned!
'Till next time.
